On her periodic walks this week, Maggie noticed wild raspberries ripening along our fenceline. I had not realized they were there until one night she remarked how she had been snacking on the raspberries as she walked.
Summer is short in the Driftless Area. As we walked through the Viroqua farmers market, we noticed several stalls selling wild raspberries, or Black Caps, providing further proof the harvest is on. I envisioned Amish moms sending their children to the woods, promising the ones who brought back the most berries a chance to lick the spoon from a batch of fresh jam.
Walking along the fencelines with Maggie, it looked like we could find enough Black Caps of our own for a batch of jam. I got up early one morning to beat the heat and fill a bowl with fresh berries, which were jam before noon. I wish I could claim the following recipe is our own creation, but it is simply the one that comes with the box of Certo liquid pectin. The recipe calls for crushing and straining half the berries to remove the seeds, but you can leave all the seeds, or remove all the seeds, as you wish.
Ingredients
8 cups wild raspberries
6-1/2 cups sugar
1 pouch liquid pectin
1/2-teaspoon butter
Makes approximately 7 half-pints of canned jam
Place berries into a bowl and crush with a spoon or potato masher. Press berries through cheesecloth or a sieve to remove seeds as desired. Crushed berries should measure out to about 4 cups (I usually do not measure once I start with 8 cups of whole berries).
Prepare a water bath canner with seven half-pint jars.
Place crushed berries into stockpot, add in the sugar, and bring to a rolling boil on the stove. Add butter to reduce foaming. Stir constantly.
Once jam reaches a rolling boil, boil for 1 minute. Stir in liquid pectin, return to a rolling boil for 1 minute exactly.
Remove from heat, skim foam, and immediately transfer to hot canning jars. Wipe rims, place on lids and rings.
Place filled jars in water bath covered with at least 2 inches of water, bring to a boil, and boil for 10 minutes.
Remove jars from water, place on a rack, and leave undisturbed until cool.
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